Compressed-air clarifier



Apri113,192e. 4 j 1,580,380

R. R. MACDONALD COMPRESSED AIR GLARIFIER Filed Sept. l5, 1924 l v JZDmy.: ATTORNE 5 Patented Aprrl3, 192.6. l

AUNI-rriril') STATE' s. olrricief..

ROB ROY' MACDONALD, or NEW-rmx,- N: Y.

5Colmenar:ssnn-Avm CLAMFIER. V

Appucationffile-a september 13*7 1924. l, serial Nn. 737,625.r

To all who-m t may concern.' n j Beit knownthat LROBROY MACDONALD, acitizen of the United .States, residing at New York, inthe countyaudState ofNeW York, have 'inade a certain new: :and` useful Inventionin. Compressed-Aira @lari-fiers,a Of which the follow-ing Vis aspecifieation.

This invention relates tofrneans for clarifying, purifying or" drying`.air-,such as=co1n pressed air or' gas, forthe' like, and is directedinore `particularly toI a" centrifugalpurifier,

clarilier or drier.

The 1object of theinvention is to provide ade'vice of this-naturewhich.y is is'iunple' in" structure, economical of inainifactiire,-andefficient iir'operation.

A further'object of the invention is to provide a device'of'this nature'hafvingstr'u'ctural afdvantagesf'and features of great util# ity andvalue',l both with respet toeeononiy Y of manufacture, ruggednessandelii--ciency' in l operation. y ,l Y

Furtherobjects of the'invention will@ ap# pear morel fully hereinafter.

' The invent-ionconsists'substantiallyin the Construction, combination,'location and'relative arrangement 'of-parts, all-as willfbe more fullyhereinafter setl forth asslrowir iny the accompanying ed out inf theappended claims. `l'"`Referring to' the drawing:

Figure l is a :view infront el.evation, p=ar tially in section, ofla'-machinefenibodying iny invention. i 'V M I y Y Fig.. 2 is an enlargeddetail view' in" section of the inotor end oflthe machine;

draw-ing and 'vtiriallyy point- The' saine partis designatedbythe-saine" air, Oas, 0r thelike, isto be purified, clari- Z3 tied ordried.-l e

Inthe railway art, however,v where conipressed air 1sy employed forbrake operation',

door operation, signaling, etc., considerable diiculty is encountereddueto moisture, dirt,

etc., in the air? which is generally eonipressed by acomp'ressor carriedonxthe car -or tra-in,- stored in a-reservoir, and fedto thepartsutilizing i the 'saine through I pipesterined 1 in the art airlines. v jV- The objections to dirt, dust and'fo'reig'n matter are obvious and thediiiculties encountered by thepresen-ce of moisturey inthe air are of ayserious nature, principally because the-,moistureeoming in contactwithmetallic"r .parts v Causesrust and V rapid; deter-io f ration thereof,'and in addition thereto, in cold weather -isfafptto freeze and clog theair Lines, 'renderingv thel -.resp`ective parts ordinarily operated bythe compressed air, inoperative, with incidentfdiiieultyof operationfzornoneoperation of such devices eontrolled'thereby,fand even rdal-nger to`.thefca'r itself or the safety and even `lives@ofthe passengers onthe-carV ,Y v

A' Ibis-amonggthe speciali-purposes oft-my .present i .invent-ion toprovide a-co1npressed air' :clarifierf-l which is-y :exceedingly fsimple in strueu-re, consumes;smallspac'e,'and at little expenseican beiinstalled Y onv ay compressed fair systenrandwith'minimum labor?, andwhich ensures. a.: dry, clean, clearqair '-.being` transmittedthrmrghtheair line.

I .will now =describe, :in vconnectionwith thedrawing forming a 'parthereof,`v one specific formi4 ofi compressed i air: clarifier embodying:ymy invention, but. I wishl itiv tobe understood that I do fnotdesirexto be 4li-rnited or restricted to thenspecilic details ofconstri'iction.` whichl willf doei givenl. lhereinafter as .ineidentfzto`rthe'preferred form of -coinpressed Ia'r elariefierseleeted for`purposes; Aof illustration oftheV invention, as nia'nyi'nodlieations andchanges ink details of'construction 'y willy :readily 'occur f to ithose i sl {.illed A in the4 .aart without departing.. .from the. Aspirit and scopev of fifnyfinvention as Ldeiined in ythe clai1ns.V y

In theforin selected for illustration, however, I have shown twocomplementary housingeastings l and 2 which are joined by a pluralityof'bolts` passing through lugs fl? and 5 of the respective housing@castings. The joint'between the two castings is lapped,- one over theother, preferably the upper housing l ,being lapped: overfthe housing',as shown, for purpose `'of proper alignment' of bearings, stuffing boxand sleeve, :illes will-be more' fully hereinafter[set'forth v y Each ofthe 'castings 1 and 2'isl provided with central hubs 6 and 7 which arebored to provide a fit for the bearings, upper stufling box and sleeve.l prefer to have the bottom surface of the housing 2 smoothed andtapered as at 8, to form an annular well which discharges through a pipeline 9 into a tank 10 provided with a suitable means such as a commonstop cock 1l for drainage of any moisture that collects .in the housing2. An air inlet port is provided at 12 in the upper part of housing lwhich permits a free passage of the air into the upper part of theclarifier and at the same time permits a relatively free path for water,oil, etc., to the bottom section 2 and 6 into the drain tank 10.

yllhe rotor portion of the clarifier consists of two sections which,together, form the clarifying or purifying portion of the apparatus,and, as will be hereinafter explained, constitutes the centrifugalportion of the machine. rlhe lower section 1S is in the forni of aradial vane pressed onto the rotatable shaft le. The upper section isfastened to the hub of the lower section through a ring nut 15preferably used in connection with a gasket. The clamping of the ringnut holds the two circular disks 13 and 16 in position with respect toeach other, and between these two disks 13 and 16 a suitable purifyingor drying, or combination of purifying and drying material, such forexample, as hair felt is positioned. Where hair felt is employed lprefer to cement the same to the inner wall of the upper and lower disks16 and 13 to prevent air from passing between the hair felt and themetal surfaces. also provide two holes 17 and 18 in the section 13running through the hub from the hole section of the shaft 14, it beingunderstood that the shaft 1&1 is hollowed from the portion thereofcommunicating with the holes 17 and 18 throughout the upper end thereof.

To withstand the centrifugal force of this portion of the machine whilein operation, I employ a heavy annular screen 19 suitably positionedbetween the disks 13 and 16 and held in position with respect thereto,for example, by means of grooves formed in the opposed peripheralsurfaces of the respective disks, as illustrated, and in addition tothis precaution, l also find it advisable 'to employ a band of bronzewire 20 extending around the approximate central peripheral surface ofthe screen 19 and soldered thereto. It will be understood that thescreen member 19 is provided with a great number of perforationsthroughout its entire annular surface to permit the free passage of airinto the annular chamber formed between the disks 16 and 13, and it willbe readily understood that the only passage for air from the inlet port12 to the hollow shaft lt'is thus provided.

All surfaces of the upper and lower sec tions 16 and 13 of the rotor arepreferably machined to secure proper balance, especially in view of thefact that it is rotated at high speeds and develops rather largecentrifugal force.

l will now describe the bearings provided for the shaft 14. The upperbearing 20 for the shaft 14 is located .vithin the hub portion of thecasing casting 1 and this bearing is preferably a ball bearing employingbut one set of balls. This bearing acts merely as a guide. Similarly,the lower bearing 21 is located within the hub portion 7 of the casingcasting 2, and, due to the fact that this bearing carries the weight ofthe shaft, the rotor and the motor, I prefer to employ two sets ofballs. rlhe inner races of the bearings are held on the shaft by meansof hexagon nuts 23 and 211, respectively, and preferably locked withmachine screws. ln my preferred form of machine, the outer races aresuction fitted in the bore provided therefor in the hub portions of therespective castings 1 and 2. ln the case of the lower bearing whichsupports the moving parts of the machine l provide auxiliary means forholding the outer race in position, which comprise, as shown, aretaining ring 25 held in place by bolts 26 preferably employing lockwashers. The outer race of the lower bearing is likewise provided withan annular flange to form an extended section to act as a stop toprevent vertical movement. J ust above the lower bearing 21 I provide asleeve 27 which is fitted by pressure in the housing or hub portion 7and provides a neat running lit on the shaft 14 inside the hub of therotor formed by the disks 16, 18, and is held in position in the housing7 by means of machine screws 28. rlhe purpose of this sleeve is toprevent moisture within the centrifugal clarifier from getting into thelower bearing for the shaft. rllhe shaft employed, as hereinbeforedescribed, is hollow from the holes 17 and 18 to the top thereof toallow the air to pass from the rotor through holes 17 and 18 thereof tothe outlet connection 30 which is fastened to the top of the upperhousing 1 by means of suitable bolts 31 preferably through a suitablegasket. VThe outlet housing has a central extension which lits over theend of the shaft lll to prevent oil from getting in the joint. The lowerpart of the shaft la is bored, as indicated at 32, to eliminate weight,but the bearing` thereof does not extend entirely through the shaft,thereby preventing` the air from holes 17 and 18 from reaching` themotor end. The stuliing boxes 341 and are located between the bearing 2Oand the rotor 16, 13, and between the bearing 21 and the motor. rilheseare of the compression springv type for the purpose of tal-:ing up wearon the packing employed therein. rlhe upper stuffing box separates thewet air chamber from the outlet and e igeeogss holds the voilin the oilwell, as will be hereinafter described. The lower stuffing vboxseparates the wet yair chamber from the motorA and also holds the oil inthe'oil well, as*`- will be hereinafter described. Y

The compression members 36 are located in place in any suitableAma1iner,for7e: ample, by means of machine screwsg-The upper stu'tlingbox 3l is pressed into the housing andthe lower stuing box Slis fastened to the housing by means of 'an annular flange .thereon which isrigidly held in place by means oftapping bolts and gaskets 3S,y asillustrated. f y A Itis desirable that .the air pressure at bothstuffing boxes' be nearly. equalizednY I have found that abalancedpressure arrangement is of importance in the use lof themachinc,as it would -he disadvantageous*if not iinpracticable, to operate themachine with high air pressure on one side of theI packing Aa-ndyatngiospheric pressure lon theV other side.

f Enormous pressure of the packing would be required, resulting inexcessive' Wear of parle ing and shaftand overheating of the shaft, alsorequiring` additional driving power to overcome excess'. friction. F orthis reason, therefore, I have 4provided ,an` equalizing connection 39controlled by archecl; valve 58 extending between the st ufting Aboxonthe one end, and the pressure on the stuffingbox 234-. on theAotherend. f

, lVhile the .provisionofmeans for equalizing the pressure of theVstufling boxes in this or in similar manner, forms an iin-portant partof my invention asclaimed, nevertheless I do not desire to be limited orrestricted inthisi'espect. s

I will now describe the o-il well arrangement hereinbefore referred to.The oil well 40 for the-.upper bearing is provided with the purposeoftakingcare of oil flow caused eoY by oil thrown olf by centrifugalforce.

Iy will vnow describe thefmotor assembly and mounting; The armature ofthe motor designated generally atA 50 isl underhung on the lower end` ofthe driving shaft 14 and held ,thereonby mea-ns of a castellated nut 51pro-vided with a taper fit vand hey orfpin The'housing whiehfy supportsthe field is fastened tothe lower housing' 2 by meansy of bolts or capscrews 55preferably with agasket, as shown. To complete the housing'forthe motor a'r cap 56 screws into the wall of theinotorhousing 53,preferably through a gasket,jas shown2 in F-ig. l.

This cap is n'iaderemovable to facilitate in# spectii Land replace-mentof 4the motor brushes, and forthis purpose the center section ofthecapis arranged, asrmdic'ated at 57, to accommodate awi'ench thereon.Dry

air is :conducted to ythe motortlirough pipe 'liner' 39, ashere-inbefore.described, so that thereV 1s a continuous How of airin'and out' of the motor due to frequent increase and decrease, but :the.motor operating in compressedtair will provide better commutation andradiation. 'Innother words, a smaller motor can be used vfor the samehorsepower output. Y Y

'When 'used outvf of l doors the heat 'generatedI in the vmotor willprevent water freezing in. the machine. This advantage isobtainedin'addition to the advantage of balancing the air pressure onthe respective stuliing boXes,herei1ibefore setforth and to whichattention might fbe'additionally calledV tothe fact that ifA the-lowerstuffing box packing was'worn ythere would be a direct path toatmosphere which would affect the main supply of air used byfiair brakesin operating trains," for eXai'n-ple,'and,- .consequently, while I donot desire to be limited to the use of'purifying compressed air fortrain o )eration where an"unbalancinev effe-ctv wouldatlect the safeVoperation of trains,

it willbeiioted that anl unbalanced effect-will result in, overheatingand wear of.: compressors and'jmotors. e

lt will be understood that air-tiiglittermi# nialswithsuitableinsulation,- suclr for example, as illustrated in'Vv Fig. 3, areto bel provided for electrical connections tothe motor wherein aplurality of-condu'ctors60` extend through the wall 53 f ofthe motorhousing for attachment on the outside tor a' Source of current, `:andvfromftheL inside to thev motor terminals; the' conductor 6O1beinginsulated fromthe wall 53; by means ofy afsui-'t'a'bleinsnlator .61.Likewise lvan adjustable air valve 62 maybe Yprovided to permit anexhaust of air under ,pressureI` in the;v motor housing, should,occasion require fthe 'exhaustion l of the: yai-rwithin the housing.

'll-he {operationv ofthe'kclarifier jis` as fol-y lows, it lbeingunderstood, 'of course, that the inotfor'rotat-es-the-shaft14 at acomparatively l'iighfrate :off speed. *Air is l admitted'L into thehousing of the clarifier tlirough the port 12 and through theouterscreeir 19 and Ahair felt, which, due tot'he high speed 'of-rota*`tion, creates "more centrifugal force-:which throws yoil? the watervvfrom the air and air vapor, and yoil from the'foil vapor, also dirt,

water, oil and impurities, etc., downward to the drain pipe 9 and thenceinto the drain tank 10 where it is collected and drained ordinarilythrough the drain cock 11.

As hereinbefore stated, I prefer to use hair felt in the annular chamberformed between the screens 19 and 19 and the disks 1G, 13, but I do notdesire to be limited or restricted in this respect, as curled hair, woolfelt and drying agents, such as calcium chloride, or other similarmaterials can he employee. Similarly, in the event of purifying suchgases as hiiminating gas whichl is operated at a comparatively lowpressure, the balanced pressure condition on the lower stuiiing box willnot be required and, therefore, the pipe connections 3S) will not benecessary. Also the motor cap 56 would not be required.

lVhen curled hair is used in the chamber of the rotor it will bepreferable to cement the same to the inner surface of the rotor, thesame as in the case of hair felt for the same purpose,-of ensuring allair passing ihrough the curled hair, and hence be cleaned rather thanpassing between the curled hair and the disks 16, 13.

I also wish it to be understood that I do not desire to be limited orrestricted as to the motive power for imparting rotation to the shaft14. It may frequently be desired to use some other source of power, forexample, a. steam turbine or a motor belt drive, and I, therefore,desire to have the illustration of the preferred form of clarifierregarded in the illustrative sense rather than in the limiting sense.

The large area of the purifying rotor provided in the constructionherein described, gives a free, unobstructed passage for the air eitherwhen the machine is in operation or when, through some accident ordefect, it is no longer operative, so that a failure of the machineitself will not prevent a proper functioning of the apparatus, althoughthe results will not be as efficient.

`With the construction thus described it is possible to clean the hairfelt with the disassemblage of a minimum number of parts. All that isnecessary is to disconnect the pipe connected to the outlet opening 30,and pour a cleaning fluid, such as gasoline, in the hollow shaft 11ithrough the opening 30. This, it will be apparent, effects a cleaning`of the rotor and atthe same time prevents gasoline from gettingl intothe upper bearing or the upper oil well. The machine is then operatedwithout air pressure for a short time so as to throw all dirt, eil,etc., and gasoline from the rotor and allow .it to drain into the drainreservoir.

The small cock 5S provided' in the balancing pressure' pipe connection39 is employed in the event the machine is not operating, the purposebeing to stop the flow of air which has not been clarified by thecentrifugal operation of the machines from being allowed to pass to themotor.

`IIaving now set forth the objects and nature of my invention, andhaving shown and described a construction embodying the principlesthereof, what I claim as new and useful, of my own invention, and desireto secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A purifier comprising` a chamber having an inlet thereto and anoutlet therefrom, a shaft extending through said chamber, means forequalizing the pressure in the ends of said chaniber, a purifying devicemounted on said shaft, means for compelling'y all air from said chamberto pass through the purifying device before reaching said outlet, andmeans for rotating said shaft.

Q. A purifying device comprising a chamber having an inlet thereto,means to equaliae the pressure in said chamber, a shaft hollow at oneportion thereof extending through said chamber, a pair of spaced disksmounted on said shaft, purifying material located between said disks,means for establishing communication between said hollow shaft and thespace between said disks, means to rotate said shaft, and bearings forsaid shaft located on opposite sides of said purifying device.

3. A purifier comprising a chamber having an inletthereto and an outlettherefrom, a shaft extending through said chamber, a purifying devicemounted on said shaft and interposed between the inlet and the outlet,means for rotating said shaft, bearings for said shaft located onopposite sides of said purifying device, and means for equalizing theair pressure on said beara. A purifier comprising a chamber hav ing aninlet thereto, a shaft extending through said chamber having a portionthereof hollow and provided with a port therein con'imunicating withsaid chamber to form an outlet from said chamber, a purifying devicemounted on said shaft to rotate therewith and positioned over said port,bearings for said shaft located on opposite sides of said purifyingdevice, and means for equalizing the air pressure on said bearings.

5. A purifying device comprising a chamber having an inlet thereto, ashaft hollow at one portion thereof extending through said chamber, apair of spaced disks mounted on said shaft, purifying material locatedbetween said disks, means for establishing communication between saidhollow shaft and the space between said disks, means to rotate saidshaft, bearings for said shaft located ou opposite sides of saidpurifying device, and means for equalizing the air pressure on saidbearings.

G. A purifier' comprising a chamber havings.

Ving an inlet thereto and an outlet therefrom,

a shaft extending through said chamber, a purifying device mounted konsaid shaft and interposed between the inlet and the outlet, means forrotating said Shaft, bearings for said shaft located on opposite sidesof said purifying device, and means for equalizing the air pressure onsaid bearings, said shaftrotating means being also subject to thepressure equalization. t

7. A purifier comprising .a casingformed in two parts to form a chamber,a hub on each part extending into the chamber, an air inlet for thechamber, a shaft extending through said hub parts in said casing parts,a bearing for said shaft in each hub art, a centrifugal purifying devicecarried lliy said shaft and extending intosaid casing, and means-foraffording an outlet from said chamber through saidpurifying device andsaid shaft.

y 8. A purifier comprising a casing formed in two parts to form achamber, an air inlet for the chamber, a shaft extending through saidcasing parts, avbearing for said shaft in each casing part, acentrifugal purifying device carried by said shaft and extending intosaid casing, means for affording an outlet from saidchamber,through'said'purifying device, and means forequalizing the airpressure on said bearings'.

9. A purifier comprising a casing formed in two parts to form a chamber,an air inlet for the chamber, a shaft extending through said casingparts, a bearing for said shaft in each casing part, a centrifugalpurifying device carried by said shaft and extending into said casing,means for affording an out' let from said chamber through said purifyingdevice, means carried by kone of said casingl parts forl rotating saidshaft, andl means for equalizing the air pressure' on said bearings.

10. A purifier comprising a casing formed in two parts to form achamber, an air inlet for the chamber, a shaft extending through saidcasing parts, a bearing for said shaft in eachcasing part, a centrifugalpurifying device carried by said shaft and extending into said' casing,means foralfording an koutlet from said ychamber through said purifyingdevice, means carried by one of said casing parts for rotating saidshaft, means for equalizing the air pressure 0n said bearings, andmeans-for collecting and withdrawing the impurities thrown off Yby thelcentrifugal force ofsaid purifying device.

11. lA purifier comprising a casing fo-rmed in two parts to form achamber, a hub on each part extending into the chamber, an air inletlfor the chamber, a shaft extending through said casing parts, a bearingfor said shaft in each hub part of said casing, a centrifugal purifyingdevice carried by said shaft and Aextending into said casing, means foraffordingl an outlet from said chamber through said Y purifying deviceand said shaft, means carried yby one of said casing parts for rotatinglsaid shaft, and means yfor collecting and withdrawing the impuri- -tiesthrown off by 'thece'ntrifugal force of said purifyingdevice. l l

12. A purifier comprising a casing formed in two parts to form achamber, an air invlet for the chamber, a shaft'l extending "ties thrownof bythe centrifugal force o-f saidv purifying device.

Inv testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand on this tenth kday ofSeptember non ROY MACDONALD.

CLL

